FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Although they held a statistical advantage in many different categories, the Nanooks were not able to come up with what so far has been a rather elusive first win as they fell to Dallas Baptist 3-0 (19-25, 25-27, 19-25).
The hosts were able to accumulate more blocks, more attack attempts and more service aces but could not overcome a multi-faceted Dallas Baptist attack.
Perhaps the biggest stomach punch the Nanooks received on the night was the loss of senior
Simone Chavous (Aurora, Colo.) before the start of the match with an apparent ankle injury.
“It's just the breaks of the game, and hopefully we can get her [Chavous] back pretty quickly,” said Shoemaker.
Filling in for the injured Chavous was freshman Morgan Tebbs (Queen Creek, Ariz.) who has played only sparsely during the season opening Hawaii road trip but contributed in a big way for the Nanooks.
Casey Tidwell (Redlands, Calif.) began the scoring for the Nanooks with a kill to tie the opening set at one before the Patriots used a 5-1 run to earn control of the set. The blue and gold got within one point thanks to a Patriot attack error and a block from Tidwell and
Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo.) but could not come back any further.
Self-inflicted errors would plague the Nanooks through the middle part of the set as they committed five miscues that accounted for all but one point during a 6-1 Patriot run.
With the assistance of a service ace from Knight and another kill from the hand of Tidwell the 'Nooks closed to within four points at the tail end of the set but a kill and a block from the Patriots would put the home team in a 1-0 hole.
Tebbs slammed home a kill to begin the second set for the Nanooks that featured a 6-1 home team run to kick things off. Sent reeling by the display of firepower, the Patriots were forced to call timeout.
After the stoppage in play, the visitors went on a 10-2 run of their own to take a three point lead, forcing Shoemaker to call timeout and settle his team down. The Patriots increased their lead to as many as six down the stretch before the Nanooks began their comeback.
Tebbs brought the momentum back to the Alaska sidelines nearly single handedly as the freshmen smashed home three straight kills before an
Allison Oddy (Chilliwack, British Columbia) service ace sent the Patty Center crowd into a riotous frenzy and forced another Patriot timeout.
"Right side isn't Morgan's typical position but she's a versatile performer," said Shoemaker.
With a kill from Knight and a block from Tidwell and
Becky Martin (Cochrane, Alberta) the Nanooks were able to tie the match at 19.
The teams traded points until Alaska opened up a two point lead, 23-21, late in the match. While the Patriots responded to tie things up, a block from Martin and fellow freshman
Jaxon Hill (Clam Gulch, Alaska) put the Nanooks one point from tying the match.
Unfortunately Dallas Baptist came right back and after tying the match at 25, benefited from two attack errors from Alaska to take a 2-0 lead.
"It's encouraging that this team has heart," said Shoemaker. "Any time you battle you've got a right to feel good about yourself but the bottom line is we have to find a way to improve both our offense and our defense."
The Nanooks never led in the third set, and could not find their offensive groove as evident by a .057 hitting percentage compared to the .250 mark put up by the Patriots.
The fight never left the Nanooks though, when a 5-0 run made things interesting last in the match but a kill and a block by the Patriots would conclude the shutout match.
Tebbs had a career game, posting a team-high 10 kills to go along with a pair of assists, a dig and two block assists.
Knight and Tidwell finished with nine kills each and both contributed five total blocks each to the effort.
Martin passed out a team-high 29 assists during the match.
The Patriots were paced by Christina Steinkruger's 13 kills and 10 digs.
The Nanooks have a shot at revenge in their first match tomorrow (Sept. 3), as they will once again meet up with No. 16 Minnesota State. The teams are scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. as part of four games on tap for day two of the Nanook Classic.
